Stinchar Bridge Circuit

A brief respite from the gales we’ve been having gave Jazz and I a chance to escape to the Galloway Forest Park. With Christmas still weighing heavily on the mid-riff this was just going to be a pleasant, low-level wander along the forest tracks with a wee saunter around Cornish Hill to get the pulse going a bit faster.

Source of Water of Girvan

Dark Sky Info

Craiglee across Loch Bradan

We parked at Stinchar Bridge and headed up the path for Cornish Hill. On leaving the trees the views over the lochs opened up, although the tops of the hills of the Awful Hand were hidden in (fast-moving) cloud. At the loch we chatted for a while with a pleasant couple+dog going the opposite way 1 and then continued down to reach the forest drive heading for Loch Bradan. Since our last visit the Forestry Commission’s civil engineers have been in to play in their usual subtle manner creating a new stretch of drive. We stuck instead to the old road as it is kinder on the paws until it gives out near our lunch spot overlooking Loch Bradan with its Dark Sky Park interpretation board – we approved.

Better waterfall on River Stinchar

We then followed the old drive around the west end of the loch, before turning west towards the Newton Stewart road which we cross heading into the forest running along the River Stinchar. Our target was the Stinchar Falls. We’ve been there a few times on both sides of the river and so knew what to expect: a disappointing waterfall but a nice seat to have an orange and rest. It must really be a disappointment to people who’ve parked at Stinchar Bridge with its lovely cascade to trudge out to the Falls: you can almost hear “Is that it?” echoing through the valley. As we were prepared it was nice just to sit and listen for a bit before heading back to the car just as the light was going.

Notes:

Yes, oddly sociable, I know. Probably a side-effect of too many sprouts. ↩